Saturday, September 27, 2014

England- By The Sea

Next impression of England: the sea!

In one of the tourist books I read this:  "In England, you are never more than about 70 miles from the sea".   Now, I have no idea if that is strictly correct, nor do I care! All I know is that when we are visiting Eastbourne, we are only about one mile from it!


 
Joy!  That is what I felt wading at the edge of the sea along the sand...the tide was out, so I was not walking on the pebbles, they were beside me!  And I love the pebbles too, I love to look at all the different shapes and to pick one up and feel the smoothness of the rock...I know people love sand, but I think the pebbles are just gorgeous.  There is such color and variety: I could spend hours looking at them...and I do!
More joy!  I have only a tiny bit of my ice cream cone here...I am pointing to the flavor that I had just purchased from this ice cream kiosk....and that is what the shop was called..."The Kiosk"!  I loved talking to the young man who worked here.  He told me he is going to New York City for New Year's Eve...and I promised to look for him on TV! Hey! It could happen! You never know...

 This ice cream was simply divine...it was "Honeycomb and Caramel", in case you can't see the words!  We also had this ice cream at my in-laws - with Richard's birthday cake! (They got theirs from Marks & Spencer...absolutely delicious!)

 
I read that the Pier will partially reopen this weekend, but it was completely closed while we were there.  You can see the burnt out skeleton below...




In the photo above, you might think that those are two roads beside the sea...but they are both walkways, and it extends for miles along the seafront! I think I read that at one time, the upper class walked on the higher level while those in the lower classes walked on that lowest level. (AND further towards the end at Holywell, there are THREE levels!)  This used to be called "The Promenade".  That word might not be used anymore, it might sound too old fashioned, too Victorian for these modern times. I think we should bring back good words like "promenade"!

promenade
[ ˌpräməˈnād, -ˈnäd ]

noun

  1. a paved public walk, typically one along a waterfront at a resort.

Now, these lovely walks are free and available for everyone!  And you all know how much we love to walk!

 Once you come to the end of this...why, you just walk up beside the main road and THEN...you climb straight up a gigantic hill (over the downs) and climb up to Beachy Head...but that will have to be for another post!
(At this rate, I will finish my England trip for you by about 2017!)  

41 comments:

  1. Cool photo of the pier reconstruction! When I heard you went back to England, I thought of the pier right away. So sad that it burned but it's nice to see it coming back to life!

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    1. And the really sad thing, one of the workers died during the work being done on the pier.
      I missed walking on the pier, but I hope that it is absolutely safe for anyone to do so.

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  2. We all (I think I am right in assuming your other blog readers are like me in that respect) enjoy these posts, Kay, and you can make them as detailed as you like - I wouldn't mind reading about your England trip until 2017 :-) Although of course I hope that, by then, you'll have a few more such trips under your belt!
    The ice cream flavour sounds like one I would have picked, too. I love the Sea, but for me, it's enough to just walk along it - I don't have to be in it.

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    1. Thanks, Meike! I have been a bit under the weather, Richard and I both, so I've not had much time to blog and when I do, I can't think very clearly!
      Hmmm....I wonder, it usually takes us years to get back to England, and since we hardly go anywhere else, I doubt I will have too many trips under my belt. Good thing, we live near our beloved monadnocks and wilflowers!
      Like you, being beside the sea, walking beside it or looking out to it, is plenty enough for me!

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  3. I enjoy seeing the pictures of your trip. It all looks wonderful!

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    1. Thank you! I was very grateful that we were able to make this trip. Glad you like the photos!

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  4. Walking on the beach must have been fun for you.
    I always eat ice cream every day.

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    1. It was fun! And when we get this flavor in America....Honeycomb and Caramel...you can say you saw it on my blog first! And I highly recommend it!

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  5. Kay you really must come up to the Hebrides some time and walk in the sea: clear as crystal with beaches of miles of pure golden sand - ask Pat! You do have a considerable capacity for bringing joy into your posts.

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    1. A crystal clear sea with pure golden sand, that sounds heavenly! (Pat has sent me photos that prove you are telling the truth!)
      Bringing joy...I like the sound of that, thank you!

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  6. Yum, that ice cream sounds amazing. Lovely photos of Eastbourne which I've never visited, like so many places in the south of England. Thank you for your kind words about my daughter - I wish I could have invited you in to share that cup of tea - maybe next time you're in England? x

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    1. Yes, Julie, you MUST try that ice cream! You would love it!
      And I would love to meet you and have a cup of tea with you...maybe with some CUSTARD CREAMS? (You will never guess, I was at Tesco, wanted to buy a pack to bring back home with me...and they were SOLD OUT! Man, I was disappointed!)
      And I am serious, I do have a sixth sense about things! Say hello to Chickpea for me!

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  7. I'm so enjoying your English posts, Kay! I adore the photo of you walking in the waves and looking at beautiful stones. What a lovely part of the world that I get to see through your eyes! The small white flowers in the garden are sweet alyssum, one of my favorites. They have a lovely fragrance and are planted a lot in Colorado. My list of books to read that you have recommended keeps growing. I've been meaning to read the book about Joshua Slocum because he comes from my part of Nova Scotia. I actually thought of you when we were on Brier Island in August looking at his memorial. I need a clone just for reading!!! I don't care if you take until 2017 to finish you English posts ~ Bring 'em on!

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    1. Oh Louise, I ADORE your comments, honestly, I do! Of COURSE, you should read SAiling Alone Around the World, especially since he was Canadian! You will love it, I know that you would!! Did you do a post about Joshua Slocum? Oh, how I wish I could have been with you and seen his Memorial! His book is just very special to me...and I am not a sailor by any means.
      And when I finish my last post about England in 2017, I will say....well, Louise from Fundy Blue said it was okay!! Thanks, you are a doll.

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  8. Kay, Great photos. I would have brought some rocks home. That is what I pick up everywhere I go. Blessings, xoxo,Susie

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    1. Thanks, Sweet Susie!
      I'm glad that someone likes rocks as much as I do! These are just the smoothest stones, they are like worry stones...it calms you to rub your fingers over them! xx

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  9. Yes, I noticed that all of southern England seems to have that slightly mildewy smell that comes from proximity to the ocean.

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    1. I can't speak for all of southern England but the wind blows quite a bit in Eastbourne and I must say, has the freshest air of anyplace I know!
      (The Eastbourne Travel Board could send me a cheque for that, in pounds or dollars...either way! HA!)

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    2. Clearly I need to head to Eastbourne then!

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    3. Yes, you should!
      Tell them that I sent you, I am sure you will be treated like ROYALTY!
      LOL!

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  10. Is that woman trying to drown herself?
    Notice how her man is staying well clear!

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    1. Boy, you aren't kidding. Even though I am just at the edge, it really dropped off and I noticed it looked very deep where the waves were coming in. There was a fisherman just beside us when Richard took these photos! And Richard was quite happy to let me go wading in all by myself!

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  11. It looks like a perfectly lovely day to visit the beach. You are certainly enjoying yourself. Honeycomb and caramel. Those two flavors sound like they would blend well together.

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    1. It was a perfect day, and the weather was like that the whole time that were there. Didn't use the umbrella one single time!

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  12. Oh how I would love to walk that walkway! And walk on the beach!

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    1. Yes, they call it the Promenade and that is just what you do, promenade down that the lovely seafront!

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  13. I like walking on the sand too.
    The waves are mesmerizing.

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    1. Richard took a video of the waves...I will see if he will post it to Youtube and then, I will put it on my blog!

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  14. You cannot post too many descriptions of travels in England!

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    1. Thanks, but I know I will drive you all crazy with my posts of England, but doggone it, we did a lot and Richard took some great photos! :-)

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  15. Your posts are lovely, so I don't mind how long it takes, I feel the same, as I have barely scratched the surface with posts from my latest travels! I never knew about the different walking levels, very interesting! xx

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    1. Thank you, Amy! And I love your posts too! Always so many photos and so much to say about them! Oh well, I will just have to try to condense it all down to a manageable amount.
      Yes, so many wonderful things built during the Victorian times, but I would not want to live during that time period. For one thing, the corsets alone would have been murder! LOL.

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  16. One of the very many things I love about England is the availability of walks - cliff walks, river walks, pasture walks. Love your pictures, as always. Been meaning to ask if you've seen The Café - it's on Hulu. Quiet, wonderful, gentle show about a café at the seaside.

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    1. I love the walks too, at the seaside, over the Downs and when we were in Burwash (which I hope I can remember to do a post about) we walked on a path and went through a kissing gate!
      Yes! We saw the Café and thought it was very funny. LATERS!
      HA!!

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  17. Me again. I just read some of your other postings, and saw Beyond the Sea mentioned. It is the theme song of The Café, beautifully sung by Kathryn Williams.

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    1. Oh yes, it certainly was, and I also loved the way that she sang it too!

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  18. Okay now I remember - you are from England - of course you would love it there - how long did you get to stay? The sea is gorgeous - isn't it so different from here?

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    1. Oh no, Sandie, I am an AMERICAN to the bone, my dear! It is my husband who is from England. But I have a big heart, you see, and I love both countries. Honestly, I love the whole world...I need to do a post about that!!
      The main thing for me...we don't have those pebbles on our beaches, not any that I know of anyway! But I really do like the stones, I think you would too! xx
      Oh! And we were there for 2 weeks...it flew by!

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  19. I did tell you about reading Sebald's Rings of Saturn, which is about the narrator walking the east coast of England (and a whole bunch of other stuff) I'm sure I did, but I can never remember. Check it out if you haven't.

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    1. http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/07/26/reviews/980726.26silmant.html

      Wow, thanks for telling me of this book. I read a book review of it from the NY Times, I have the link above if you would like to read it too.
      And I am much older than you, so you are preaching to the choir about not remembering! HA!
      Hope all is well with you out in the Lone Star State.

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  20. Oh my! Ice cream at the beach sounds totally lovely! I love seeing the photos of you enjoying the beauty.

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